Is Well-being U-Shaped over the Life Cycle?
Abstract
We present evidence that psychological well-being is U-shaped through life. A difficulty with research on this issue is that there are likely to be omitted cohort effects (earlier generations may have been born in, say, particularly good or bad times). First, using data on 500,000 randomly sampled Americans and West Europeans, the paper designs a test that can control for cohort effects. Holding other factors constant, we show that a typical individual’s happiness reaches its minimum -- on both sides of the Atlantic and for both males and females -- in middle age. Second, evidence is provided for the existence of a similar U-shape through the life-course in East European, Latin American and Asian nations. Third, a U-shape in age is found in separate well-being regression equations in 72 developed and developing nations. Fourth, using measures that are closer to psychiatric scores, we document a comparable well-being curve across the life cycle in two other data sets : (i) in GHQ-N6 mental health levels among a sample of 16,000 Europeans, and (ii) in reported depression and anxiety levels among 1 million U.K. citizens. Fifth, we discuss some apparent exceptions, particularly in developing nations, to the U-shape. Sixth, we note that American male birth-cohorts seem to have become progressively less content with their lives. Our paper’s results are based on regression equations in which other influences, such as demographic variables and income, are held constant.Download Info
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Paper provided by University of Warwick, Department of Economics in its series The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) with number 826.Length: 36 pages
Date of creation: 2007
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:wrk:warwec:826
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Keywords: Happiness ; aging ; well-being ; GHQ ; cohorts ; mental-health ; depression ; life-course;Other versions of this item:
- Blanchflower, David G. & Oswald, Andrew J., 2008. "Is well-being U-shaped over the life cycle?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1733-1749, April.
- Blanchflower, David G. & Oswald, Andrew J., 2007. "Is Well-Being U-Shaped over the Life Cycle?," IZA Discussion Papers 3075, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
- David G. Blanchflower & Andrew Oswald, 2007. "Is Well-being U-Shaped over the Life Cycle?," NBER Working Papers 12935, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
- I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare and Poverty
This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:
- NEP-ALL-2007-12-15 (All new papers)
- NEP-HAP-2007-12-15 (Economics of Happiness)
- NEP-LTV-2007-12-15 (Unemployment, Inequality & Poverty)
- NEP-SEA-2007-12-15 (South East Asia)
- NEP-SOC-2007-12-15 (Social Norms & Social Capital)
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Citations
Blog mentions
As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:- Money, reputation and happiness
by chris dillow in Stumbling and Mumbling on 2009-03-05 17:27:55 - Happiness and age
by chris dillow in Stumbling and Mumbling on 2007-11-29 11:26:09 - Some new happiness research
by chris dillow in Stumbling and Mumbling on 2009-11-24 14:04:24
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